Location Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US

Geographic coordinates 23 00 N, 102 00 W

Map references North America

Area
total: 1,972,550 sq km
land: 1,923,040 sq km
water: 49,510 sq km

Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries
total: 4,353 km
border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km

Coastline 9,330 km

Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate varies from tropical to desert

Terrain high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m
highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

Natural resources petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

Land use
arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 86% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 65,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts

Environment - current issues scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion
note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues

Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note strategic location on southern border of US

NOTE: The information regarding Mexico on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Mexico Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Mexico Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.